Abstract
The first line chemotherapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma is combination chemotherapy based on platinum. The optimal number of cycles for first line chemotherapy has not been defined yet. While cumulative toxicity of cisplatin can be a problem, the approval of pembrolizumab has changed the aspect of secondary treatment. We investigated 39 patients who were diagnosed with advanced urothelial carcinoma and treated with platinum-based chemotherapy between August 2009 and October 2018 in our hospital. We evaluated the correlation between number of cycles of first line chemotherapy and the survival rate of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. The primary tumor site was found in the bladder in 22 patients and in the upper urinary tract in 17 patients. Thirty one patients received cisplatin and 8 received carboplatin. Twelve patients received 2 or less cycles, 16 received 3 to 5 cycles and 11 received 6 or more cycles. The median overall survival in those populations was 5 months, 18 months, and 20 months, respectively. Patients who received 2 or less cycles showed significantly lower response rates to chemotherapy and the overall survival worsened. There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients who received 3 to 5 cycles and those who received more than 6 cycles. These results suggested that it may be excessive to continue the first line chemotherapy for more than 6 cycles.
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